member on the energy and commerce committee, the gentleman from california, mr. waxman. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california is recognized for five minutes. mr. waxman: thank you very much for yielding to me. mr. speaker, i rise in opposition to the bill. a warmer planet has less ice, higher sea levels, more water in the atmosphere, more powerful storms, more frequent floods, dreier droughts and worse wildfires. two weeks ago hurricane sandy brought a powerful and tragic reminder that the combination of sea level rise and more powerful storms can be deadly, devastating and extremely costly. hurricane sandy was the only -- only the latest and most dramatic in a series of extreme weather events. over the past two years we've had recordbreaking temperatures , the worst drought in 50 years , major floods, numerous tornadoes and thunderstorms and vast wildfires. this is what global warming looks like. and if we continue to ignore it it will soon look far worse. we should be doing all we can to reduce carbon pollution and slow global warming. but this bill instead tries to s
